The two Bok backs emphasised the importance of accurate execution and sticking to their structures as they hunt their fourth successive victory against their southern hemisphere arch-rivals for the second time in history.
The Springboks staged a strong comeback from 27-17 down late in the game last week to win their third Castle Lager Rugby Championship match in a row this season (they beat the All Blacks 31-27), but the players said this week would require a more effective performance for the full 80-minutes to repeat that feat, which would see them claim the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009.
“They have a good skillset all around the park and they put a big emphasis on a fast start, so it will be a big drive for us to start the match fast as well,” said Kolbe.
“They almost caught us out with that at Emirates Airline Park, but luckily, we managed to pull it through. So, we need to lay a good foundation in the first 20 minutes.
“In the past we also struggled to come back and finish games strongly against them, and last week showed the character of the group and the players’ willingness not to give up.
“We certainly don’t want any regrets, so we must make sure we do the basics well and execute our game plan well. Last week gave us confidence, but now we have to build on that.”
Am echoed his team-mate’s sentiments and said: “They have players with an X-factor from No 1 to No 15, and as defenders we need to be smarter, especially in terms of our unstructured defence. We have to make good decisions in that regard.”
The Bok midfielder added that the All Blacks can never be written off: “They are a quality side, and we know this match is going to be tougher and more intense than the last one. That said, we’ve prepared well this week and hopefully we can produce a quality performance this week.”
Kolbe was wary of New Zealand’s impressive fightback against Argentina in their second match of the tournament after going down against Los Pumas in the opening round, but he turned the focus to what the Boks needed to do to place themselves in a good position register back-to-back wins against them in the tournament.
“In the past we struggled to win two games in a row, as was the case against Ireland, and we worked hard to rectify that against Australia, so it’s a now a case of continuing to improve and build consistency in our performances,” said Kolbe.
“It’s very important that we are fully focused this week because matches between the Springboks and All Blacks are always a war. They are going to come out firing, so we need to stay on task and put in the hard work from the start to the end, and hopefully we will reap the rewards in the end.”
The double Rugby World Cup champion admitted that while New Zealand enjoyed good support in Cape Town, he believed the Boks would have a strong following on Saturday.
“They have a lot of supporters in Cape Town, but so do we as we all saw during the trophy tour after the Rugby World Cup, and we draw a lot of energy from them,” said Kolbe. “But we also know that the only way to gain more support is to win, so hopefully we’re winning over a few more supporters here.”
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will name his team for the clash on Thursday morning, with the side set to wrap up their preparations for the clash on Friday.
